Probably any experienced aquarist is well aware of catfish such as corridors. Which is not surprising - they can boast of a cheerful character, external attractiveness and simplicity of content. That is why they are suitable not only for experienced fish lovers, but also for beginners. Therefore, it will be useful for each aquarist to learn about such a fish as the corridor speckled catfish. The maintenance and care of it is simple enough that it will not cause trouble even for a beginner.
Description
To begin with, we give a description of the speckled catfish of the corridor in its natural form. Subsequently, the breeders deduced the albino form and veil form. The first has red eyes and a very light body color. The second resembles classic fish, but at the same time boasts more beautiful, lush fins. In addition, in the wild there are several types of catfish - we will talk about this a little later.
The little body is small, about four to seven centimeters. The back is convex, the abdomen is flat. The back is covered with a shell formed of bone plates arranged in two rows on the sides of the body. This carapace gives it a certain protection against small predators, but at the same time makes it slightly clumsy. Experienced aquarists are aware of cases when corridors swam into a narrow gap and simply got stuck - unable to get out, they died there. This should be remembered if you want to beautifully decorate the aquarium - there should not be narrow gaps between stones or other objects.
The mouth is located below, which gives the representative of catfish, picking up food exclusively from the bottom. On the upper lip are a sensitive mustache - two pairs, one longer and the other almost imperceptible. Thanks to these mustaches, which are an additional organ of taste and touch, the fish easily finds food, and can also safely swim along the bottom in pitch darkness. The dorsal fin is quite high, about half the height of the body.
Mostly the body is painted in a grayish-olive color and decorated with several dark gray spots. But the abdomen has a golden or pinkish color, which gives corridors a special appeal.
Habitat
Surely it will be interesting for aquarists to find out where the speckled catfish corridors came to our country from, whose photos are attached to the article.
The birthplace of the fish is South America. It inhabits water bodies of different countries - Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil and other countries of the mainland. Prefers to live in slowly flowing or even standing water bodies. He loves silted water. Perfectly adapted to the fact that some small ponds during the summer drought are almost completely dry. It is for such a case that he can breathe not only oxygen dissolved in water, but also atmospheric!
From time to time, the fish quickly rise to the surface, capture a ball of air with their mouths and simply swallow it. Air enters the rectum, where oxygen is absorbed and enters directly into the blood. This feature is worth considering - some peaceful fish will live in constant stress from such an active neighbor.
Existing varieties
As mentioned above, there are different types of speckled catfish corridor. We will briefly talk about some of them.
For example, corridoros borbus. It is large in size - in the wild reaches 12 centimeters. True, in aquariums it is almost two times smaller - rarely more than seven centimeters. Lives mainly in reservoirs of Brazil. The body above is tan, shiny. Abdomen - golden yellow.
Even more interesting is the panda corridor. They cannot boast of large sizes - about five to six centimeters. But the whole body has a rich orange-brown color. Black spots are located near the tail and on the dorsal fin. And on the head, through the eye, passes another black strip.
Dwarf catfish - aka sparrow catfish - is found in the water bodies of the Paraguay and Amazon rivers. It has a very modest size - usually less than three centimeters. The color of the body can vary depending on environmental conditions - from golden to light green. Along the whole body there is a narrow black strip, turning in the tail region into a black rhombus.
Somik Kocha lives in the Amazon River, mainly in the middle reaches. Small, about three centimeters in length. The body is brownish yellow, the abdomen is white, and the sides have a silvery sheen. The whole body is covered with small dark dots of a greenish tint.
Somik Meta lives only in the Meta River, flowing through Colombia. The average size is about five centimeters. The body has a delicate brown-yellow color. From the dorsal fin to the tail, a wide black stripe runs along the back. Another one passes over the head, crossing the eye. Mostly the fins are transparent, but sometimes a light brown color is found. The dorsal fin in some individuals has a rich black and blue color.
Of course, there are other types of catfish. But they are practically found in captivity, so they are not of particular interest to lovers of aquarium fish.
We select a suitable aquarium
Now we pass directly to practice. Getting any fish, the aquarist should think about whether he can create suitable living conditions for her. Fortunately, with corridors, this is not at all difficult.
The aquarium needs a relatively small one - ten liters per individual is more than enough. It is advisable to start not one or two catfishes, but immediately half a dozen - in the flock they feel more comfortable. In general, fish are highly socially active. Left alone, the corridor will try to join another satellite, most often soma, even of a different kind, for example, a thoracicum or another, leading a similar, bottom-line, lifestyle.
At the same time, keep in mind that fish need atmospheric air - do not put them in aquariums that are covered with a lid and are almost completely filled with water. Leave at least five to seven centimeters of clearance.
Catfish do not like bright light, spending most of their time in shaded places. Therefore, make sure that such sites exist. You can create them using stones, grottoes, snags, algae and other methods. The main thing - remember the above: do not leave cracks in which the fish can fit, but can not get out.
It is desirable to choose algae with large leaves - an elodea or hornwort are not the best options, since they almost do not give a shadow due to small leaves. It is advisable to plant them along the back and side walls of the aquarium, leaving in the middle enough free space for swimming. Most of the daylight hours, the fish will hide in the thickets, and go to prey with dusk approaching.
As the soil, it is best to use fine gravel or run-in river sand. You need to fill them with a thick layer - at least three to five centimeters. Soma often delve into it, getting food, or even just for his own pleasure.
Optimal conditions
Now let's move on to the next question - the best conditions under which the fish feel as comfortable as possible.
The optimum temperature is about + 20 ... + 25 degrees Celsius. True, corridors are easily tolerated and a significant decrease in temperature - up to +15 degrees. According to some reports, they do not die, even if the temperature drops to +3 degrees. However, it is not worth experimenting - nevertheless, you have to deal with fish, for many generations living in aquariums, pampered in comparison with wild ancestors.
Every week you need to replace water - up to a third of the total. It is also necessary to provide filtration and aeration. Yes, speckled catfish can receive air from the atmosphere, but they feel more comfortable if enough oxygen is dissolved in the water.
How to feed him
They are quite unpretentious in food, they are happy to eat vegetable, live and dry food. Suitable scalded lettuce, dried gammarus and daphnia, as well as bloodworms, tubule, corpetra, beef heart beef.
It mainly collects food from the bottom, making it an excellent companion for any fish who prefer to eat only from the surface. However, in some cases, catfish rise sharply from the bottom to the surface and grab food with a loud squish.
How to distinguish a male from a female
It will be useful to learn about the main differences between males and females. In general, coping with the task of gender separation is not difficult. Females are usually 1-2 centimeters larger than males and thicker. But the males have a fin-pointed fin - triangular, and not like a trapezoid.
However, it will be easier for a beginner to cope with the task, if there is a small flock - here you can compare the fish among themselves.
Breeding
Now we pass to the most interesting step - the reproduction of speckled catfish corridors.
They become sexually mature by eight to nine months. As a spawning, you need to use an aquarium with a capacity of 30-40 liters. Lighting is better muted. Any soil can be used. But as plants, anubias or the other with wide leaves is best suited. The temperature is about + 19 ... + 22 degrees Celsius. It is necessary to ensure good aeration of the water.
Selected producers (two to three males and one female) need to be fed live food a week or two before spawning. Then they are sent to spawning. For stimulation, it is desirable to reduce the temperature in the aquarium by two to three degrees. Spawning is short - usually takes several hours.
The female collects male’s milk in her mouth and smears the substrate with them (most often algae leaves). Then glues on the sticky surface of the eggs. Sometimes the number of eggs reaches a quarter of a thousand. Immediately after the spawning is completed, the fish need to be jailed. Providing good aeration of the water, leave the spawning for a week, raising the temperature to +25 degrees. Surely by the end of this period fry will hatch from eggs.
Baby Care
In general, care is quite simple. In the early days, fry should be fed with rotifers, live dust and small zooplankton. Gradually, you can start giving a finely chopped tubule. It is also important to change a third of the water every week or every day for two to three liters.
If everything is done correctly, then already in a month young catfish will have a length of about one centimeter.
Suitable neighbors
Now it’s worth briefly talking about the compatibility of the speckled catfish of the corridor with other fish.
In general, they get along well with almost any fish - starting from guppies, zebrafish and neon, ending with discus and scalar. The main thing is to ensure that predatory or aggressive fish are not caught in the neighbors - they may well perceive small catfish as a pleasant snack.
It is also not recommended to run them in an aquarium where large cichlids live.
Conclusion
On this article comes to an end. Now you know everything about the breeding and maintenance of speckled catfish corridor. Therefore, you can easily provide them with comfortable living conditions.